Veal osso bucco with citrus zest tomatoes & cannellini beans

Serves: 4 |  Preparation time: 20mins  |  Cooking time: 2hrs

Ingredients:

4 Tasman osso bucco pieces
4-6 large shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 medium white onion sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 lemon
1 orange
2 large ripe tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 - ½ cup cannellini beans (soaked and cooked) 
2 cups veal or chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup white flour
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt & pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 tsp olive oil
2 tsp unsalted butter

Method:

1. Grate the lemon and orange zests into a small bowl and set aside.
2. Add the red pepper flakes into the flour and coat the osso bucco pieces in the mixture and add salt & pepper. Heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan and cook both sides of the veal osso bucco pieces until golden brown.
3. In another pan, sauté the sliced onion in some olive oil; when translucent, add the shitakes and garlic and cook until the mushrooms release their moisture.
4. Remove the osso bucco pieces from the pan once they are browned and de-glaze the pan with the white wine, reducing it to a syrup consistency. Add the veal or chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and put in the tomatoes, citrus zests, and thyme sprigs, stirring together well. Make a sort of “nest” with the tomatoes mixture and place the osso bucco pieces in it.
5. Adjust the heat so everything keeps simmering nicely, with a lid placed half way on the pan. (You can also use a piece of parchment paper instead and place the pan in a 200°C oven). The whole thing cooks for about an hour or until the meat is just falling off the bone.
6. Transfer the osso bucco pieces and its sauce with tomatoes to a warming plate and hold in a warming oven. The stock should be reduced down to about one cup by now and the cannellini can be added to it at this point.
7. Lastly, whisk in the butter, taste and season accordingly and serve immediately with a side of mashed potato.